The Best Gluten-Free and Vegan Brunch Spots in Toronto

August 3, 2017

Brunch is the most important meal of the day! So when my friend was recently diagnosed with Coeliac’s disease and was told to cut gluten and dairy from her diet by her doctor, I understood her most pressing concern: Where can I brunch in Toronto? As a gluten and dairy intolerant person myself, I’ve been to most of Toronto’s best gluten-free and vegan brunch spots in the four years I’ve lived in the city.

With brunch options from crepes to pancakes to waffles to scrambled tofu, here are my 7 favourite gluten-free and vegan brunch spots in downtown Toronto!

Hibiscus

My hands down favourite gluten-free and vegan brunch spot is Hibiscus. Tucked in the heart of Kensington Market, this cute little restaurant is perfect for an intimate brunch date with friends and family. It also has some of the best gluten-free and vegan crepes I’ve had in Toronto! My go-to is the vegan mozzarella, tomato, basil, spinach and mushroom crepe. It’s made with buckwheat and topped with avocado and zucchini. I seriously cannot get enough of it!

Hibiscus also has many other sweet & savoury crepes, as well as a few other delicious lunch options. Their salad is jam packed with superfoods like quinoa, sweet potato, broccoli, kale and 40-something other ingredients. It also comes with a raw cracker, which makes the perfect scooper for your salad. Their soups, which change daily, have also been a favourite of mine because of their innovative flavour combinations. I recommend going when you’re pretty hungry because it’s always a large amount of delicious food and their desert options are pretty incredible too!

Starving Artist

Another filling gluten-free and vegan brunch favourite of mine is Starving Artist. This punky restaurant is the perfect place to get your fill of sweet and savoury waffles! My personal favourite is the Starving 4 Waffles topped with strawberries. The gluten-free and vegan waffles have a slight banana taste from the banana in the batter, so sweet toppings make the perfect pairing! It comes with fruit and your choice of salad or maple-baked beans.

I’ve also tried their mixed veggie waffle sammie (sandwich) minus the secret sauce (because dairy), which was also quite tasty! There are also many options for your omnivorous friends, like eggs benedict on a potato waffle or chicken and waffles.

Starving Artist is cash only, so remember to stop at your bank ATM before you go! For a Starving 4 Waffles and a coffee, I’ve only needed a $20 bill and some spare change for my meal plus tip. They have an ATM on site, which charges an extra dollar for a service fee.

Bloomer’s

Possibly one of my all-time favourite gluten-free and vegan brunch spots in Toronto is this Annex sandwich shop called Bloomer’s. Although they fall more in the lunch spectrum, I’ve been known to order sandwiches from them at all hours of the morning and afternoon. My two personal favourites are the Tempeh Reuben (pictured above) and the Pulled Jackfruit (pictured below) sandwiches. If you’re like me and you love mustard and all things pickled, the Tempeh Reuben is for you. Its sizeable gluten-free bun is topped with marinated tempeh, avocado, sauerkraut and served with a side of pickled red cabbage and seeded mustard.

The Pulled Jackfruit sandwich is very similar in texture and in flavour to a pulled pork sandwich. Topped with a gluten-free onion ring, lettuce and vegan cole slaw, this sandwich is an amazingly messy treat. They also serve their gluten-free onion rings as a side in case you want more than just the one on your sandwich. I’m also a sucker for their poutine, which they serve with sunflower cheese. The cheese melts very well on top of the fries and gravy and it’s possibly the best gluten-free and vegan poutine I’ve had so far in Canada!

As for desert, they make the most delicious gluten-free and vegan carrot cake topped with cream cheese icing. I’m known for taking it home to eat as a snack if I’m too full to eat it at the restaurant! They also have incredible vegan donuts for your gluten-loving friends.

Grapefruit Moon

One of my favourite places to bring out-of-town guests is right in my own backyard. This quirky little restaurant is tucked away just north of the busy Bathurst-Bloor intersection. The first thing that I noticed about Grapefruit Moon was their amazing indie rock soundtrack that included Vampire Weekend- one of my all-time favourite artists! They’re also very accommodating to gluten-free and vegan brunchers!

I generally go for the Vegan Morning or a veganized Moon Breakfast with scrambled tofu, homefries and gluten-free bread. They do use their deep fryer for non-gluten-free items as well, so if you’re particularly sensitive to gluten, there’s also the option to get a side of tomatoes with your breakfast. If you’re not a big fan of scrambled tofu, I recommend asking to substitute the tofu for mushrooms. Combined with the Daiya cheese and the other veggies in their tofu scramble, the mushrooms make for a delicious, filling brekkie!

Side Note: If you’re not looking for breakfast options at brunch, there’s also a delicious vegan burger available! They also make their own hot sauce, which is the perfect amount of sweet & spicy.

Kupfert & Kim had been on my brunch itinerary for as long as I can remember! So when I finally had the chance to check it out, I was so excited to try it out! Their entire menu is plant-based and gluten-free with high-quality, organic ingredients. I had their gluten-free and vegan waffle for breakfast. It was one of the best waffles I’ve had since going gluten-free five years ago!

The waffle also had the option of adding some coconut ice cream on top. Of course, I’m a sucker for waffles and ice cream, so I immediately ordered it. I also ordered myself a delicious affogato as well, without remembering that affogato is a scoop of coconut ice cream with a shot of espresso. Needless to say, I was ice cream-ed out by the end of brunch, but it was 100 per cent worth it!

I also love their eco-friendly mandate. If you bring your own container, you’ll get 35¢ off your meal. But if you forgot your container, their to-go boxes and straws are compostable. Their kitchen also sends very little waste to landfill, as they mainly compost and recycle. As an environmentalist, I really appreciate the extra effort they go through to make their restaurant as green (and healthy and delicious) as possible.

I had never heard of Lola’s Kitchen until I was invited to brunch by Lauren from Twirl The Globe. She was writing a blog post about the best brunch places in Toronto and wanted to include a gluten-free and vegetarian/vegan-friendly spot. So I was surprised to have such a delicious brunch at a restaurant I had never even heard of before then!

I had the vegan Breakfast Kale Bowl, which was packed full of delicious ingredients like leeks, fennel, squash, purple & black kale, organic quinoa, tofu scramble and smoked paprika oil drizzle. I was also eyeing their gluten-free and vegan crepes and their curried tofu scramble. If those options doesn’t get your mouth watering, I can’t help you.

Lola’s is probably one of the busier brunch places in this post and they unfortunately don’t take reservations. I recommend arriving within the first hour of the restaurant opening to get seats right away, as there was a line when I arrived right when Lola’s Kitchen opened.

Hidden in a cafeteria across the street from the prestigious OCAD University is a locally-owned restaurant headed by a gluten-free and vegan chef extraordinaire, Karine. But whenever I think of Karine’s, I don’t think of the owner. I think of her mom. As you approach the till, you’re greeted with an exuberant hand flourish and a charming welcome.

“Hello, my babies, how are you?”

Her warmth and wild personality is one of the many reasons I keep on going back to Karine’s. I don’t think I can even pick one favourite meal from Karine’s, as her mom always picks a new meal for me every time I visit. (It’s hard to say no to her!) But I will say that their pancakes are some of the best gluten-free & vegan pancakes I’ve had to date! There are plenty of gluten-free and vegan brunch options, as well as options for your omnivorous friends. If you’re looking to surprise your friends with an amazing brunch, Karine’s is the place to go! I mean, who knew cafeteria dining could be so tasty?

What are your favourite gluten-free and vegan brunch spots in Toronto?

Share your Toronto favourites in the comments below and let me know where I should be having my next brunch date! Also, if you’d like to read more about gluten-free & vegan travel, please let me know in the comments below!

For more photos and stories from The Full-Time Tourist, please follow all my travel adventures, tips and recipes on social media- Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram!

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29 comments

HI! Love your well-organized list! I’ve been meaning to visit my cousins in Toronto and you’ve listed some great vegan places to try! I’ll be referring back to this post in the future! Thanks for sharing!

Thank you! And yes, you’ll have plenty of options to choose from! I still need to make a pin for this post, but feel free to bookmark it and let me know which place was your favourite brunch spot when you’re visiting Toronto!!

Omg! EVERYTHING looks amazing! I’ve never been to Toronto, but I want to go just for all this food! I follow a gluten free diet and would love to try these restaurants, especially those waffles at Kupfert and Kim!

Nothing we like than healthy eating spots when we travel! Sometimes diet really struggles when traveling so knowing some healthy cool spots is a huge bonus! Thank you for the well organised list of places to try!

Oh I know that pain too! Sometimes there are just so many sweets and treats to be had when traveling! I hope you’re able to try some of these places for yourself sometime soon! Thank you for your kind comment!

Now that’s a very useful post for me! Whenever I’m traveling I always look out for veggie friendly places to eat at! Thanks to you, when I visit Toronto, I have a range of options to choose from! Of your list, I love Starving Artist, Kupfert & Kim and Karine’s!!

You’ll definitely have to come visit then! Toronto is packed with veggie-friendly places- in fact most restaurants have a small selection of vegetarian/vegan/gluten-free meals. It’s great that it’s becoming more of a norm in the downtown core. When you’re in Toronto, feel free to tag me in any photos of your eats while you’re here! My IG is @thefulltimetourist 🙂

I love this post because I am vegetarian. Now it is easier for me to hunt for vegan food in Toronto. I will go for Hibiscus, Bloomer’s and Starving Artist. Hibiscus has those lovely and delicious looking vegan crepes. All photos of food are tempting us give them a try.

Hibiscus is probably my favourite go-to brunch spot in Toronto just because of those delicious crepes! If you’re ever in Toronto, you’ll have to tag me in some of your food photos & let me know what you think of these brunch spots! My IG is @thefulltimetourist 🙂

Ah I totally agree that brunch is the most important meal of the day. Or at least my favorite one together with breakfast! 😉 I do understand it’s difficult when you cannot eat gluten, but luckily today that there are some good options gluten-free. All the dishes in your pics look so very yummy! 🙂

Yes, I am so grateful that there are so many more options today compared to when I first started accommodating my gluten intolerance about 8 years ago. And thank you so much for your kind words, Umberta!!

Good to find such a post. Most Indians have an impression that it is hard to find veg options outside and this makes them really panicky when they travel. But this vegan trend is catching on well nowadays.

Your post made me so hungry! I wish I knew about all these places when I visited Toronto. I am not a vegan but who can say no to those delicious look pancakes from Karine’s or to those blueberry waffles from Kupfert & Kim…

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Who is The Full-Time Tourist?

Hi there! I'm Deni Verklan, a Canadian freelance journalist and blogger with a passion for travel, photography, writing, and gluten-free & plant-based foods. (Though that last one is more of a necessity.) The Full-Time Tourist is a travel blog for those who love to travel, but want to stick to a budget, and for those traveling with food allergies/dietary restrictions. Here you will find my travel stories, city/neighbourhood guides, travel tips, lifestyle tips and gluten-free & plant-based recipes.

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@thefulltimetourist

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Be the first to know about all the adventures at The Full-Time Tourist! Enter your email below for travel inspiration, tips and much more!

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Who is The Full-Time Tourist?

Hi there! I'm Deni Verklan, a Canadian freelance journalist and blogger with a passion for travel, photography, writing, and gluten-free & plant-based foods. (Though that last one is more of a necessity.) The Full-Time Tourist is a travel blog for those who love to travel, but want to stick to a budget, and for those traveling with food allergies/dietary restrictions. Here you will find my travel stories, city/neighbourhood guides, travel tips, lifestyle tips and gluten-free & plant-based recipes.